A Chance Meeting
by Roses of Enjolras
Summary: Leaving a certain someone felt difficult to bear on your shoulders because of Guilt. But meeting them again is a chance to take not to be wasted and making a Promise to one another are supposed to be kept together with trust. However, a certain blonde get to experience all of them. What will happen when they meet again? SLIGHTLY AU! CloTi & Zerith!


**Greetings readers! This is my second fan fiction story. This just came to my mind so I wrote it down and uploads it before it leaves my mind. The setting of the story is slightly AU, and I won't be changing POVs hundreds of times since it'll make my writing irritating to read in your visions. Still hoping CloTi fans out there. I uploaded this story for I really love this couple/pairing, they're number one on my list :D**

 **There some major and minor changes that I include in this story.**

 **-Like what happened during the Final Fantasy VII, Cloud left Nibelheim at age 14 and be on Shinra at 15. But in this story, Cloud left Nibelheim at 14 and studied on Midgar High for two years, thus joining Shinra at age 17.**

 **-The story occurs before and at Crisis Core. There might be a possibility that it might continue up to Advent Children but I will skip some part and only include CloTi and Zerith moments and of course I will add some parts on my own ideas.**

 **-During their childhood days, Cloud and Tifa aren't close to each other. But in the flashback of the story, they are somehow.**

 **-In this story, Cloud was still at age 17 but acts mature even if guilt filled his body.**

 **-Tifa was also 17 even though their age was a year apart.**

 **-Think of them as they were in Advent Children, same with their personalities and physical characteristics but Cloud 'a little bit' looks thinner for being young but also have some masculine features since he's with the same class of Zack here, both trying to be in SOLDIER and Tifa was still the same with beautiful features and curves.**

 **Some changes might still add in the future chapters. :3**

 **FORMAT:**

 _Cloud's thoughts_

' _Tifa's thoughts'_

 _*_ Imitating*

Monday morning, the part of the week that he hated the most. Every week, every day, every hour, there are tons of ladies wanting to keep close to him and get his attention but he never appreciate any of it. He only found women as a waste of time but there will always be an exception… exception… always. And that exception is his mother and a childhood friend from his old town, Nibelheim.

Once the thought of Nibelheim ran through his mind, he began to remember the way he left the town to study in Midgar High to achieve his dream of being a First Class SOLDIER that he promised to "her". Then it hit him that there's still class so he cut his thoughts and readied the things he needed for school.

"Attending in Senior High School sucks." He groaned.

Not that he's lazy or anything but it's the exact opposite. He's too intelligent and smart to be studying in the academy and only attended because he never wanted to waste the money that his mother paid. Speaking of his mother, she stayed in Nibelheim and sent him moneys via deliveries that he gets monthly for the school and for the apartment he's staying in for the monthly payment.

Midgar High was the only place surrounded by trees in the city of steel that somehow made him relax for reminding his hometown. He got out of his apartment located in a twenty-six story building he's staying in with the standard school uniform for men consisting of white polo with black blazer with white linings on top with a red tie hanging on his neck and black pants. Locking the doors and headed to the elevator he pressed the button that goes down to the ground floor on where his beloved motorcycle was parked- Fenrir.

His apartment was pretty high, for being on the twentieth floor allowing him to see the whole city of Edge. Tapping his shoe on the metal floor of the elevator, he impatiently waited as the clock ticks. He had forgotten that he had to eat on the restaurant on the first floor since he haven't eaten breakfast yet so he have to tap on the F1 button that irritated him first thing in the morning.

When the elevator opened, he walked to the restaurant to eat. The blonde sat on the corner facing the wall since there's no one on the other side to avoid any contact and waited for the waiter to come his way. This had been happening everyday so the waiter has to wait for him until he get down and do the same thing all over again each day.

"Good Morning Mr. Strife, what's your order?" he asked gently.

He looked at him and sighed. "Same meal as yesterday…" The guy nodded and walked to the kitchen disappearing to the blonde's sight. No matter how hard he tried to avoid any attention from people around the place, he found it hard due to his spiky hair.

For once, he turned his head sidewards to try and look at everything unusual around him. His eyes rolled from east to west and locked with a certain Ruby Orbs staring back at him and she's wearing the standard uniform of Midgar High for women and long black hair.

 _Am I seeing things again?_

He decided to look back once more and both stared at each other's eyes again.

 _What's wrong with me? I'm not yet drunk… I haven't drunk anything yet._

That's it, he began to stand up with his palm on his forehead. He walked downstairs and sat on Fenrir once he opened his engine. "I can't believe I'm seeing things again." He sighed as he rode Fenrir down the road to Midgar High. He passed by many people from different streets and different roads until he reached Midgar.

Once in Midgar, Midgar High is an easy spot in the place because of the trees surrounding it.

 _How in Gaia is that happening… it can't be._

Not that he never wanted to see her, in fact he wanted to see her so _badly_ and ask how she been, how's his mother in Nibelheim, and compliment her on how beautiful she really have been. Once he reached Midgar High, the blonde walked to the building of the Senior High School Building and hearing squeals of different women.

Meanwhile, the woman staring back at him at the restaurant still has her eyes on the door where she thought he left.

' _Am I seeing things again?'_

She tried to calm herself by breathing slowly and eat her breakfast and ride a taxi to the Midgar High. Once in the taxi, she stared at the window beside her. She heard the weather reports said that it will rain in the afternoon, but she wondered how because the sun shines bright like it's shining for both of them… both of them.

' _Is Cloud really here?'_

Her thoughts were cut when the car stopped in front of the gates of Midgar High, and was amazed by its beauty. It has four buildings, the Elementary Building, Middle High, Junior High, and the Senior High which is the tallest of them all and the building she has to be. She stepped her foot on the floor and walked slowly to the Senior High Building.

She somehow felt relief because of the trees surrounding it, which made her remember Nibelheim. She went to the principal's office. She walked to the hallway and noticed some men taking interest in her, being a new student. The black haired woman walked out once she's done.

"So I'm in going in the 6th floor." She sighed as she have to walk upstairs since elevators are off limits and can only be used by authorities and teachers, lucky ones.

As for Cloud, he's still walking through the hallways and heard some gossips about a new girl transferring in. He somehow felt curiosity building up and asked the woman near him.

"Tell me about this new student." He commanded rather than asking. The woman took the opportunity and talked shyly since it's once in a lifetime.

"U-umm… She's currently on the principal's office."

Cloud flew away and went to his classroom located in the 6th floor. He passed the crowd and didn't stare at them and the women find it cool the way he acted towards them and some followed him in his class desperately trying to get near him.

He sat on the chair on the last row beside the window and gazed at the sky. Their seating arrangements are there were a large desk that can be shared by two people, so all in all, there can be a pair in every desk but Cloud was comfortable in his seat since he's the only one owning the desk.

 _Odd the weather reports said it's gonna rain this afternoon._

Then he thought of who could the new student be. Then it hit him about what he saw earlier at the restaurant. As he stared at the window, the Shinra Company can be seen as it is in the center. Then he thought about being in SOLDIER, at first he only wanted to achieve it because of fame but later realized that he wanted to impress a certain someone.

He missed her so much after leaving the town and study. There's not a day that passed that he didn't even think of her. But being in SOLDIER is still a major step ahead of him and he'll conquer it.

 **FLASHBACK**

A young girl sat on the well on top, looking at the starry skies above not taking a care over the world for being young and innocent. She hummed as she remembered kissing Cloud accidentally during the morning, after getting herself tripped by a small stick while walking towards school.

She smiled at the thought, and then she waited for Cloud in the well. Cloud went as they planned and sat beside her, a knee folded with the arm hanging on it while the other arm supports his body.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" She asked as she looked at him.

He hesitated for a bit and stared back at her after receiving confidence. "Come this spring I'm leaving town for midgar."

Tifa's smile vanished after realizing that he too was leaving. They had been nextdoor neighbors since they transfer there but everyone treated him like an outsider and never let him play with them but Tifa always have a hidden feeling towards him but she hesitated that time. "All the boys are leaving town."

Cloud shook his head, "but I'm different from them. I'm not just going to find a job." He stood up and faced her "I want to join soldier." He stared at her who has a frown on her face, "I'm going to be the best there like Sephiroth!"

"Sephiroth… The Great Sephiroth?" She asked. Cloud walked until he reached the top of the well. "Isn't hard to join soldier?"

Cloud nodded, "… I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while." He realized that he'll be missing her and his mom but he'll do it to be noticed. "Huh?" he asked as she stared at her

"If you make it will you be in the newspaper?"

Cloud nodded, "I'll try"

Tifa looked up to him asking Cloud to get down. Once Cloud was beside her again, he asked what is it all about. "Hey let's make a promise…" She held her pinky finger on to him, "If you get really famous and I'm in a bind, you'll come and save me all right?"

"What?"

"If I'm ever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me." She shake her feet who's hanging and began to act shy then stared above, " I want to experience that at least once."

"What?"

She looked up to him "Come on! Promise me!"

"All right… I promise" Cloud held his pinky finger onto her thus making a pinky promise and hugged each other before a shooting star passed on the sky.

 **PRESENT**

 _That promise long ago… I wonder if she even remembers it, or if she remembers me like I always do._

"Cloud?" The man stood in front of him that made his senses comes back to life.

"What do you want?" He asked glaring at him for interrupting his thoughts. The man had a spiky black hair with strands of bangs framing his face. After realizing who it was, Cloud began to loosen up and back to his _Friendly_ side that he only showed to Zack for being his best friend. "Oh it's you Zack, sorry about that."

Zack laughed it off, showing his positive side while smiling, "No worries. Hey, have you heard?" Cloud raised an eyebrow at him, confused look painted on his face. Zack grinned while slowly lowering his head to Cloud's ear whispering something. "Lately, there's been a rumor that there is a new student. They say she's a woman that came from a small town. Your thoughts?"

The blonde looked away staring back at the window. There's a little hope that it might be her, but just shook it off for thinking he's imagining the impossible again.

"Nothing."

He replied to his friend in front of him. Zack smiled and took the chair in front of Cloud's desk on the other row and rested his body on it. After sitting, he rest his head on his fist and elbow on the desk. "Really? You know that I've been trying to ship you with other ladies out there. It's hard to see my friend lonely without me." He cried jokingly.

A bit of nerve hit Cloud, "Stop with the theatrics…" he said while leaning his back on the back of the chair. "And I never have any interest in women in this class and in the whole campus." He added.

Zack was about to continue but was cut off when their teacher arrived inside the classroom bringing out a serious look on his face that made the whole class froze in their places. "Good morning class." He later eyed the students checking their attendances. Once done, he closed the attendance record and began, "Listen up. Today we have a new student. Take good care of her."

After hearing his statement, the whole class cheered, excited for meeting new face in their class. Even Zack was eager to see who this new student who's waiting at the other side of the closed door. At that time, Cloud paid attention to the teacher, either nervous or excited who will he see but kept his cool as usual.

When the teacher ordered the new student to come, the door opened slowly. Everyone's eye was on who's the figure behind the door leaning forward on their seats desperately trying to see the new student. She walked slowly taking step after step that made Cloud's vision turned to slow motion. Her long black hair dancing every move she made and turned towards the class.

She gazed at the class trying to familiarize the new faces in front of her but stopped when her eyes locked with a certain spiky blonde haired boy.

Cloud couldn't express the words jumbling around his head, he didn't even know if his supposed to feel guilt for leaving her or delighted to see her again. For him she looked elegant wearing the standard school uniform for women with a scarf around her neck and the skirt reaching above her knees.

The two locked eyes with each other again not knowing how to act. She found herself staring too long at him and cut their staring contest. "I am Tifa Lockhart. Pleased to meet everyone."

"Ms. Lockhart, you may seat beside Mr. Strife, the blonde male at the corner in the back row." The teacher mentioned that made men's dream turn down.

She slowly walked passing between the spaces of the chairs and desks, focusing her gaze at her seat trying to distract herself from Cloud's appearing that made her face blushed.

' _Why did he have to torture me like that?'_

Tifa came to her seat and sat on it, arranging her things.

' _If only you knew how much I missed you.'_

Cloud looked at the mirror beside him staring at the sky, trying to distract himself from staring at Tifa. Zack grinned and looked back at Cloud who's behind him, " *I never have any interest in women in this class, and even in the campus.* " He mocked and laughed a bit after imitating him about what he said earlier.

"Not now Zack." He sighed a bit , not that he's mad at him but he just don't know how to react in a situation with guilty filled up his body.

Guilty for leaving Tifa.

Tifa heard what Zack said, not that she's eavesdropping but she accidentally heard what he said since she's beside Cloud, elbow to elbow with their shoulders brushing every move either of them did.

 _Was fate really toying with me?_

The class started, students getting ready for the class session, but either Cloud or Tifa could concentrate on the discussion making both felt uneasy, neither talking to each other. Cloud saw Tifa's faint reflection on the mirror and blushed a bit when Tifa also looked back.

The teacher saw this and performed a task in the class. She asked everyone to work in a pair, making the students looked at their friends with a smirk but their hopes were gone after she said their partner will be their seatmates.

Some students celebrated while some didn't. Cloud looked at Tifa beside him and Tifa did the same, locking on each other's eyes. Cloud's eyes were blue that will drown you and Tifa's were the exact opposite with ruby orbs that made you hypnotized and melt when stared at.

She immediately looked away, blood rushing to her cheeks after looking at him for long, again. With his instincts, the blonde also looked away. He thought she was like that because she's mad but the truth was she's shy after not seeing him for numerous years.

They both began with barely making any contact with each other. But there's a time when they accidentally touched each other's hand and both kept quiet after that.

On the other side of the classroom, Zack was grinning from ear to ear glad that Cloud finally for someone he can rely on. "I guess that's all I wanted to see." He put his hand on the back of his head and continued to mind his own business and left the two alone.

The work was done and it's already break time and the teacher asked Tifa, "How's the first day?"

"More than what I expected but I still can't judge since it's too early." Everyone hurried and went to their friends. Tifa tried to talk to Cloud but a swarm of students gathered around her bombing her questions. Cloud and Zack walked to the canteen but the blonde noticed something about Zack and decided not to bother him about it.

 **FLASHBACK- ONE WEEK BEFORE**

Zack went on the slums of Midgar for trying to get something on his head. It's been boring lately for him since every day, the same thing happens again and again.

"It's boring… things were a lot better when walking in the slums." He groaned. He saw something like a church and decided to check it. "A church in the slums, it's not every day you get to see one." He said and slowly checked the place.

He thought of going inside of it but stopped at the entrance when she heard a sweet voice of a woman. Being a flirty man he is, he checked to see it and popped his head on the entrance. A woman with a brown hair kneeled and touching the flowers dressed in a white dress.

"Whoa…" he can't form the right words to say and stuck in his place. The woman felt that she's being stared at looked at where she felt stares and saw a tall guy with black hair.

Noticing that she can take the opportunity to talk to other people than the flowers she tried to get his attention. "Hi there!" she greeted cheerfully.

Zack felt blood going up to his cheeks and decided to run so fast leaving smoke as a proof that he had been there. She felt down after someone turn down her offer even of talking to her.

The day after that, the next thing happened again until it's been happening for a week at the same place and at the same time repeating the same thing and leaving after being seen. Zack suddenly felt attached to her that he wanted to see her badly. Zack then decided to muster the courage. The mighty flirty Zack can't talk to a certain woman doesn't seems right to him so he decided to talk to her the next time he met her again.

 **PRESENT**

"I'll talk to her this time." He decided that in the afternoon when the class ends he'll meet up with her again. Cloud just stared at him curiously.

"Get her tiger." Cloud said tapping his shoulder.

"Same with you too. Get Tifa's heart and let her be yours."

Cloud just sighed, "Shut up."

 **HELLO EVERYONE, PLEASE TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. I'LL ALWAYS BE GLAD TO HAVE ONE SO POST A REVIEW ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT AND I'LL TAKE ANY REQUESTS YOU HAVE.**


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